Twisting spindle balloon control



A. W. VIBBER TWISTING SPINDLE BALLOON CONTROL Original Filed May 8, 1951 Sept. 13, 1960 2 Shegts-Sheet 1 United States Patent M TWIS'I'ING SPINDLE BALLOON CONTROL Alfred W. Vibber, 116 Pinehurst Ave., New York 33, NY.

Original application May 8, 1951, Ser. No. 225,209, now Patent No. 2,843,997, dated July 22, 1958. Divided and this application Aug. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 678,861

29 Claims. (Cl. 5758.86)

This invention relates to apparatus for controlling the balloon of a spindle for twisting and/or plying strands.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 225,209, filed May 8, 19511, now Patent No. 2,843,997.

The invention has as one object thereof the provision of an improved supply or uptwister spindle.

Another object is the provision of an improved tension imposing device for a twisting spindle.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an improved adjustable tension imposing device for a twisting spindle.

A still further object is the provision of an adjustable tension imposing device, of the character indicated, which is controllable during operation of the spindle.

The above and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention. It is to be expressly understood that such embodiments are illustrative only, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat schematic view in side elevation at a first embodiment of twisting spindle in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view partially in side elevation and partially in horizontal axial section through the active flyer arm of the spindle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View in axial section through a spindle incorporating a first embodiment of variable tension imposing means of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in axial section through the flyer of a spindle incorporating a second embodiment of variable tension imposing means of the invention.

In Fig. 1 there is shown an uptwister generally designated having an upstanding central shaft driven by a belt 16 extending from a motor (not shown). The spindle is provided with a flyer in the form of a twoarmed cross member, one such arm, designated 11, being the active, strand conducting arm, and the other arm 14 being an inactive, balancing arm.

The central shaft of the spindle carries a strand package 17 thereon, the package being non-rotatably held in space by conventional means such as counterweights or magnets, not shown. The yarn strand 19 from the package 17 passes through a first tension imposing means 20, which may be of the type employing a magnetically held ball, and thence downwardly in a vertical run into a twisting guide 21 secured to the upper end of the central shaft of the spindle. The strand then passes down through a central passage in the main spindle shaft and out through the central passage in the active arm 11 of the flyer. After passing through a second tension imposing means 12 secured to the outer end of arm 11, the strand passes into balloon 22, which is created and maintained by the spindle. The balloon may be defined as the surface of revolution defined by the portion of strand 19 rotating between the outer end of the flyer 10 and the apex guiding eye 24. Such balloon is a portion Patented Sept. 13, 1960 of a loop which extends from the axis of the spindle, radially outwardly of the flyer, and through the balloon to the guide 24, which is coaxial of the spindle and spaced axially therefrom.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and,2, and the embodiments of Figs. 3 and 4 as well, the spindle forms the strand of elongated flexible material into a loop, which includes the free flying balloon as a part thereof, said loop extending from the junction of the axial and radial passages inthe spindle shaft or flyer, which lies on the axis of the shaft and of the loop, back to the axis of the shaft and loop at the eye 24. The flyer in all the embodiments shown may be considered to be a part of the spindle shaft, since it is non-rotatably afiixed thereto, and rotates with such shaft about the longitudinal axis of the shaft.

The upper end of the balloon is guided by an eye 24 which is mounted for vertical adjustment toward and away from the flyer of the spindle along the axis of such spindle. Eye 24 is supported on a fixed frame part 25. A vertically reciprocable slide 26 is mounted in a vertical guideway on frame part 25, slide 26 carrying a horizontal arm 29 at its lower end. Eye 24 is affixed to the outer end of arm 29.

Vertical adjustment of eye 24 is effected by a screw 31 which has threaded engagement with a nut 30 afiixed to slide 26. The upper end of screw 31 is rotatably mounted in a member 32 affixed to frame member 25, member 32 retaining the screw from reciprocation. The screw may be turned by a knob secured to its upper end. By a suitable adjustment of eye 24, a balloon 22 of the desired height may be attained to give it the proper diameter and stability for a given type of strand, effective diameter of flyer, and speed of rotation of the flyer.

It is usually necessary to provide in spindle10 a tension means additional to the adjustable magnetic ball tension 20 shown at the top of the spindle, both because such magnetic ball tension devices are limited as to the total force which they can impose upon the yarn, and also because the yarn, when engaged by such means, is in flat untwisted condition and therefore lacks the requisite strength as a whole to be engaged by a single tension imposing means contributingflthe total back tension effect required by the singles balloons. The material receives a first twist in the zone of travel immediately below tension means 20, thereupon entering the twisting guide at the top of the main shaft of the spindle. After thus being firsttwisted, the material .is stronger as a whole and may receive a second, larger, back tension, before it enters the singles balloon. In the embodiment, shown, such additional. tension is produced by means of the tension means 12 mounted on the 'arm 11 of the double-armed flyer. The other, balancing, arm of the flyer is designated 14, there .being mounted on the other end of such arm a non-operative, balancing means 15, so that the flyer is in dynamic balance.

As shown in Fig. 2, there is screwed into the internally threaded arm 11 of the flyer the end of the adjustable sleeve 34. Such sleeve is firmly held in arm by means of the two lock nuts 36 and 37. On the outer end of sleeve 34 there is threaded thetension device '12, the externally threaded end 40 of the sleevebeing received in a threaded recess in means 12. The parts 34 and 12'are firmly held together by means of lock nuts 41 and .42. To facilitate mounting and dlSIIlOllIllIlilg'Of the tension device and the sleeve on the arm, the threads 35 and 40, respectively, may be made right and left hand threads, the sleeve being conveniently turned by means of the hexagonal shaped unthreadedportion 39.

The tension device 12 incorporates. therewithin the thread guiding tube 45, the. tube having a smoothly 3 curved passage therein alternately lying on one side of and then the other side of a radial line in the flyer. In

the embodiment shown the tube 45 has a helical configuration having a sufficient number of helices therein, and the helices being of such pitch and length of travel, that tension device 12 under operating conditions imparts to the single twisted thread entering it and passing through it into the balloon 22 a tension which, in addition to the tension imposed by the primary tension means 20, equals the back tension necessary to balance the balloon '22. The strand 19 travelling through the tube 45 is, of course, subjected to bending in travelling through the helices of the tube; and such portion of the strand 19 .in tube 45, having appreciable mass, is also subjected to centrifugal force which throws it strongly into engagement with the wall of the tube at the left in Fig. 2. The particular configuration of the tube 45 required for any twisting operation can readily be arrived at, and it is convenient to provide a series of tension means 12 having tension imposing effects in steps of, say, fifty grams. The gaps between such tension devices may therefore be readily filled by adjustment of the ball tension means 20.

Tension means 12 may conveniently be made by first providing a tube 45 of suitable hard smooth wear-resistant metal, bending it into the desired configuration,

and then mounting it in a mold as an insert, after which the metal forming the main body 44 of device 12 may be cast about it.

It can be seen, therefore, that the flyer with the replaceable tension means 12 thereon can, in conjunction with the adjustable eye '24, provide a singles balloon having the requisite weight of material in hand the required speed of travel about its axis, so that, for example, the sum of the tensions in two singles balloons 22 will equal the tension in the take-up balloon, at its medial diameter, in a three-spindle system wherein two singles strands are plied at a take-up spindle.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a singles supply spindle incorporating therein a first embodiment of the automatically variable back tension imposing means. Such spindle includes a generally upright rotatable shaft 46, such shaft mounting thereon at right angles to the axis thereof the flyer 47. The flyer has, radially therethrough in one location, a passage 49 for the yarn, such passage communicating at its inner end with the axial yarn passage 50 in shaft 46. Floatingly mounted on the shaft, so as to remain essentially non-rotatable during operation of the machine, is the member 51 forming a support for the package 52. Such package is supported on core member 54, which is held in position coaxial of shaft 46 by the bottom and top spacer members '55. The tension device is designated generally by the reference character '56. Such tension device has a main body 57, such body having an axial passage 59 therethrough. Body 57 is held in position by the aforementioned top spacer member 55 and by the sleeve 60, the sleeve being made of non-conducting material such as molded plastic, such sleeve snugly fitting, at its bottom end, about the central tubular portion 61 of member 51, and receiving at its upper end the lower end of body 57 of the tension device.

Positioned on top of shaft 46 and below the body of the tension device is the yarn twisting guide 62. The first twist of the yarn takes place in the zone, designated A, below the first tension device, composed of the ball 64 and the ball seat 65, and between it and the twisting guide 62. The ball 64, which is made of magnetic material, is held in the seat 65 by the permanent magnets 66, the distance between such magnets and the ball being variable as by the interposition of shims between the magnets and the ball seat. Within the ball seat providing member, which is made of non-magnetic material, and immediately below the ball seat there is provided a wound field coil 67. Such wound field coil is variably energized by mechanism which is disclosed in parent application Ser. No. 214,866, filed March 10, 1951, but which is not a part of the invention here claimed. The connection between the Wound field coil 67 and a suitable source of variable energization is effected as follows:

The body 57 of the tension device is mounted in and retained inthe sleeve 60 in fixed angular relationship therein as by providing a radial pin (not shown) on the bottom end of the body '57 and a corresponding slot (not shown) on the top of sleeve 60'. Such pin and slot, being conventional, are not shown. A first wire 69-leads from the wound field coil 67, and extends downwardly through a bore in the body 57 of the tension device to a firstspring terminal 70 on such body. A similar wire 71, to the other side of the field coil, extends downwardly through the body '57 to the spring connector '72 on body 57. A pair of wires 74 and 75 are disposed on the outer surface of sleeve 60 at diametrically opposite Zones, such wires being connected at the top of the sleeve to inwardly projecting spring terminals cooperating respectively with terminals 70and 72. Wires 74 and 75 lead downwardly to the lower end of sleeve 60, where they are connected to pins afiixed in insulating mountings on the sleeve, such pins fitting within socket members, as shown, which are insulated from member 51, in which they are mounted.

I The first of such plug connections is designated 76 and similar conductor 82 leads through member 51 from plug connection 77 to the brush holder 84. The brush 85 in holder 80, and the brush 86 in holder 84, cooperate,

respectively, with slip rings 87 and 89 mounted in insulating channel members on top of the flyer 47. Slip rings 90 and 91 are located on the bottom of the flyer member opposite slip rings 87 and 89, corresponding pairs of slip rings being connected to each other. Connection may then readily be made to the bottom slip rings, as by brushes 92 and 94 mounted upon the insulation supporting block 95 aflixed to the machine frame.

It will, of course, be obvious from the above description that as field coil 67 is increasingly energized, the force with which the ball 64 is pulled downwardly to the ball seat 65 increases and that the tension imposed upon the as-yet-untwisted yarn being pulled off the package 52 and proceeding downwardly through the tension device between the ball and its seat is increased. The tension device shown in Fig. 3,. therefore, can in certain instances furnish by itself the necessary back tension compensation required in those systems employing varia tion of the singles balloon size to maintain general balance of tension through the system.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a portion of a singles supply spindle incorporating in its flyer a secondary back tensioning means 96 acting upon the firstatwisted. elongated flexible material 97'proceeding downwardly through the axial passage 99 in spindle 1011 and then radially outwardly through the flyer passage 101 where it emerges into a balloon through flared end 103 of passage 101. The secondary tensioning device 96 acts on the material prior to its entry into the balloon 104. For convenience, the tensioning device 96 is formed as a readily removable unit, such unit having a main body 105 of generally circular cylindrical shape exteriorly thereof, such main body 105 fitting within the correspondingly shaped cavity 106 in the flyer 102. The axis of such cavity extends parallel with the axis of the spindle and is in such loca tion as symmetrically to intersect the passage 101. The opposite arm of the flyer is equipped with a corresponding dummy member (not shown) for the sake of dynamic balance.

Body is held from rotation in cavity 106 by means of the key 107 at the bottom of the cavity, such key fitting within a correspondingly shaped channel in body 105. The central portion-of theseat forming memthe axis of the spindle.

stem

"her 109 of the flyer is open, as shown, to allow the pushing of the tension member upwardly upon its removal. The tension member is held in the cavity by means of the cap 110 which, as shown, is screwed into the threaded portion at the upper end of the cavity.

The portions of passage 101 adjacent the cavity 106 are flared, as shown at 111 and .112. A passage 114 extends through the body 105 of the tensioning device in matching relationship with the flared ends 111 and 112 of the flyer passage. A slightly elliptical bore 115 is provided in body 105 parallel to the axis of the spindle, the major axis of the ellipse lying in a direction radial of. the flyer. A tensioning roller 116 fits within bore 114, such roller having its main body of a diameter such that the end portions of the roller snugly engages the bearing providing surfaces on the bore wall remote from The roller is held in place, as shown, by the bottom roller supporting nib 117 and the top roller'locating nib 119, such latter nib being contacted by the bottom surface of cap v110.

It will be apparent that, under operating conditions, with the flyer 102 rotating at high speed, .and with the material'97 looped at least once around roller 116, a marked tension -will be imposed upon the material by the roller. Such result follows because the roller 116, having appreciable mass, will be thrust with appreciable force against the outer bearing seats by reason of the centrifugal force imposed upon it, and because the one or more loops of the material 97 about the roller will engage such roller in substantially nonslipping relationship.

' It will be apparent that the tension imposed by means 96 will be varied if the roller 116 is subjected to a radially inward force which tends to oppose the centrifugal force acting upon it, thus to alter the frictional retardatidn upon the roller imposed by the bearing seats. Such change in the frictional retardation of the roller is effected by the wound field coil 120 which selectively acts upon the roller. 'Theroller 116 is made of magnetic material,the main body 105 and the cap 110 of the tension device being made of non-magnetic material such as brass, bronze, or the like. Energization of field coil 120, therefore, will tend to counterbalance the centrifugal force acting upon the roller, the amount of such counterbalancing elfect'being determined by the degree of energization of the coil.

' "One lead wire from the coil is connected to an out- Wa'rdly directed spring terminal 121, the other lead wire being connected to a similar spring terminal 122, such terminals on body 105 cooperating with terminals fixed in the bore of'cavity 106. The tension device 96 may therefore be quicklyremoved from the flyer or inserted in place, the electrical connections thereto being broken and made respectively at the same time. Wires 124 and 125, leading, respectively, from the cooperating spring terminals on the body 105 of the flyer lead to the insulated slip ring members 126 and 127, as shown. Cooperating with such slip ring members are brushes 129 and 130 which are supported upon the terminal block It is obvious that the secondary back tensioning device of Fig. 4 may be employed in connection with a fined primary tensioning device such as a magnetic ball tension, or that it may be employed in conjunction with the variable primary tensioning device such as shown in Fig. 3. In such latter case separate variable resistor controls and separate brushes and slip rings on the flyer are necessary for each of such variable tensioning devices. It is possible, however, by suitable modification of the device of Fig. 4, as by placing the wound field coil radially outwardly of the roller in the flyer and by decreasing the weight of the roller, as by making it hollow, to make such device impose a greater back tension when its field coil is increasingly energized. When such modified construction of device 96 is employed, connection between tension energizing means,

the variable magnetic ball tension device of Fig. 3, and the thus modified device 96 may readily be made by connecting the fields of both tension devices to slip rings 126 and 127 of Fig. 4.

It will be apparent that in the above described methods and apparatus the balloon whose diameter, and thus the length of material therein, is being controlled has such factors thereof held within desired limits by the alteration of the relative speeds at which the material feeds into the balloon and at which it is removed from the balloon, such alteration being effected in response to continuous measurement of one or more such factors of the balloon. In the described preferred embodiments of the system the speed of removal of material from the balloon is essentially constant, being carried out by the auxiliary capstan at the cabling and take-up twisting spindle, such capstan being driven by and in synchronism with the main shaft of such spindle, such main shaft being driven at a constant speed. Various embodiments of the described apparatus and method vary the speed of entry of the material into the balloon by imposing varying retarding tension on the infeeding material, either at the gathering pulley or by varying the tension in the singles balloon. Other embodiments, those varying the height of the cabling balloon, vary the tension in the cabling balloon relative to the sum of the tensions of the singles balloon, and thus vary the rate of feed of the material into the cabling balloon.

Whereas for purposes of illustration I have shown and described preferredembodiments of the apparatus for controlling the size of the cabling or take up balloon in a system wherein a plurality of singles spindles feed into a take-up spindle, and I have also described and illustrated preferred embodiments of my improved singles supply spindle and of the novel back tensioning devices employed therewith, it is to be understood that such embodiments are illustrative only and that the invention is capable of considerable variation as to details.

The invention is, therefore, to be defined by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim as new the following:

1. A supply spindle for twisting elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft at constant speed, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the. material may be pulled from the package downwardly through the shaft and outwardly through the flyer into a delivery balloon, a material tensioning device in the spindle, and means outside the balloon for selectively controlling said tensioning device while the spindle is in operation.

2. A supply spindle for twisting elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft at constant speed, a pack-age support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the material may be pulled from the package downwardly through the shaft and-outwardly through the flyer into a delivery balloon, a material tensioning device in the spindle, said tensioning device being located above the shaft to engage the material as it is delivered from the bobbin, and means outside the balloon for selectively controlling said tensioning device while the spindle is in operation.

3. A supply spindle for twisting elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, means for rotating the shaft at constant speed, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the material may be pulled from the package downwardly through the shaft and outwardly through the flyer into a delivery balloon, a material tensioning device in the spindle, said tensioning device being located in the zone of the path of travel of the material through the spindle bounded by the upper end of the shaft which the material enters and the outer end of the passage through the flyer, and means outside the balloon for selectively controlling said tensioning device while the spindle is in operation.

4. A supply spindle for handling twisting elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the material may be pulled from the package downwardly through the shaft and outwardly through the flyer into a delivery balloon, and a material tensioning device in the flyer, said tensioning device comprising a material engaging member which is a solid of revolution, and a seat supporting the member in the flyer so that centrifugal force urges the member into the seat.

5. A spindle for handling elongated flexible material comprising a support for a strand supply package, means to rotate a loop of the strand about an axis in the travel of the strand from the package, means for guiding said strand to the loop, a shaft positioned coaxial of the loop and rotatable about its axis with the loop, a rotatable member for engaging the strand and controlling the travel thereof, said member being mounted on the shaft and being rotatable about its own axis and rotatable with the shaft and with the loop about the axis of the shaft, said member being adapted to receive the strand thereabout and substantially non-slippingly to engage such strand, the member rotating about its axis as the strand travels therepast, and means cooperating with the rotatable member selectively to impose a variable torque thereon.

6. A spindle for handling elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the material may be pulled from the package through the shaft and through the flyer, and a material tensioning device in the flyer, said tensioning device comprising a material engaging member which is a solid of revolution, and a seat supporting the member in the flyer so that centrifugal force urges the member into the seat.

7. A supply spindle for twisting elongated flexible material comprising a hollow rotatable shaft, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a radial passage in the flyer communicating with the bore through the shaft so that the material may be pulled from the package downwardly through the shaft and outwardly through the flyer into a delivery balloon, and a material tensioning device in the flyer, said tensioning device comprising a material engaging roll, a seat supporting the roll in the flyer so that centrifugal force urges the roll into the seat, and means controllable while the spindle is in operation variably to oppose the action of centrifugal force upon the roll.

8. A double twist twisting spindle comprising a rotary driven shaft, means for rotating the shaft at constant speed, a package support floatingly mounted on such shaft so as to be maintained in a relatively stationary position, means for maintaining the package support in such position, a yarn containing package mounted on said package support, a yarn tensioning guide mounted on the package support centrally thereof, a yarn twisting guide mounted on the shaft to rotate therewith beneath the yarn tensioning guide, a flyer mounted on the shaft below the package support for rotation with the shaft, the shaft having a yarn receiving passage in its upper end, the flyer having a thread passage generally radially therethrough, the two passages communicating with each other at their inner ends, and a second yarn tensioning guide mounted on the spindle to engage the first twisted yarn in its travel through the spindle in that portion bounded by the yarn twisting guide and the outer end of the radial passage in the flyer, at least one of said two tensioning guides being so constructed and arranged as to be selectively variable in its tensioning effect while the spindle is in operation, and means outside the balloon for selectively controlling said variable tensioning guide to vary the tensioning effect of said variable tensioning guide While the spindle is in operation.

9. A spindle for handling elongated flexible material comprising a rotatable shaft having a central longitudinally extending material conducting passage, a flyer mounted on the shaft, a generally radially extending material conducting passage in the flyer communicating with the passage in the shaft, and a material tensioning device in the flyer, said tensioning device comprising a material engaging member, -a recess in the flyer receiving the member for limited movement radially of the flyer, and a seat at the radially outer end of the recess into which the member is urged by centrifugal force as the flyer rotates.

10. A spindle as claimed in claim 9 wherein the material engaging member is a solid of revolution.

11. A spindle as claimed in claim 10 wherein the recess is aligned with the radial passage in the flyer, and the seat frictionally engages and retards the member from rotation by the material as the latter travels therepast.

12. Apparatus for handling elongated flexible material, comprising means for rotating and guiding the material in a loop as the material travels through the apparatus, said means including a rotatable shaft, the loop extending from a first zone coaxial of the axis of the shaft to a second zone substantially spaced from the first Zone and lying coaxial of the axis of the shaft, a material-tensioning capstan mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft and the loop around the axis of the shaft, the capstan being adapted substantially non-slippingly to engage the material intermediate the ends of the loop as the material travels through the loop, the capstan being mounted for rotation about its own axis as the material travels therepast and means for controlling the rotation of the capstan about its own axis, said last named means including at least one element coaxial of the capstan and connected to the capstan to rotate therewith for varying the speed of rotation of the capstan.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, comprising means cooperating with the element for imposing a torque on the capstan.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the means cooperating with the element imposes a materialretarding torque on the capstan.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the capstan has a strand-engaging portion which is a body of revolution, the strand-engaging portion receiving the material wrapped with at least one turn around such strandengaging portion.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the elements of the strand-engaging portion are concave axially of the capstan.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 12, comprising a support for a supply package of said material mounted within said loop, and means for guiding material from a supply package mounted on said support generally axially of said shaft and thence into said loop.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the capstan has at least one element coaxial thereof and connected thereto to rotate therewith for controlling the rotation of the capstan.

19. Apparatus as defined in claim 18, comprising means cooperating with the element for imposing a torque on the capstan.

20. Apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the means cooperating with the element imposes a materialretarding torque on the capstan.

21. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the capstan has a strand-engaging portion which is a body of revolution, the strand-engaging portion receiving the material wrapped with at least one turn around such strand-engaging portion.

22. Apparatus for handling elongated flexible material, comprising means for rotating and guiding the material in a loop as the material travels through the apparatus, said means including a rotatable shaft, the loop extending from a first Zone coaxial of the axis of the shaft to a second zone substantially spaced from the first zone and lying coaxial of the axis of the shaft, a support for a supply package of said material non-rotatably mounted within said loop, means for guiding material from a supply package mounted on said support axially of said shaft and thence into said loop, a material-tensioning means mounted within the loop to impose a materialretarding tension on the material in its travel from the package to the loop, and a material-tensioning capstan mounted on the shaft to rotate with the shaft and the loop around the axis of the shaft, the capstan being disposed with its axis parallel to the axis of the shaft and being adapted substantially non-slippingly to engage the material intermediate the ends of the loop as the material travels through the loop, the capstan being mounted for rotation about its own axis as the material travels therepast, and means for controlling the rotation of the capstan.

23. Apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the capstan has at least one element coaxial thereof and connected thereto to rotate therewith for controlling the rotation of the capstan.

24. Apparatus as defined in claim 23, comprising means cooperating with the element for imposing a torque on the capstan.

25. Apparatus as defined in claim 24, wherein the means cooperating with the element imposes a materialretarding torque on the capstan.

26. Apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein the capstan has a strand-engaging portion which is a body of revolution, the strand-engaging portion receiving the material wrapped with at least one turn around such strandengaging portion.

27. A spindle for handling elongated flexible material travelling therethrough, comprising a rotatable shaft, a generally radial passage in the shaft, means on the shaft engaging a loop of material rotating about the axis of rotation of the shaft, the material at one end of the loop extending into said passage in the shaft, means to guide said material into the loop, said loop engaging means comprising material-tensioning means eccentric to the axis thereof and rotatable with the shaft and with the loop about the axis of the shaft, the tensioning means being positioned a substantial distance from the axis of the shaft and including a surface disposed at a marked angle to the general extent of the portion of the passage in the shaft at the material-entering side of the tensioning means, said surface exerting a retarding force upon the material as a result of the thrusting of a mass on the shaft against such surface by centrifugal force upon rotation of the shaft.

28. A spindle as claimed in claim 27, wherein the material contacts said surface directly.

29. A spindle as claimed in claim 27, comprising a rotatable bodyof revolution located on the shaft adjacent said surface, said body of revolution being thrust against said surface by centrifugal force as the shaft rotates, the material having driving engagement with said body, whereby the body rotates as the material travels therepast.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,900,037 Bochmann et al Mar. 7, 1933 2,233,645 Smith Mar. 4, 1941 2,397,153 Naumann Mar. 26, 1946 2,445,721 Bartholomew July 20, 1948 2,499,726 Cotterill Mar. 7, 1950 2,650,779 Uhlig Sept. 1, 1953 2,662,364 Kingsburg Dec. 15, 1953 2,731,786 Klein Jan. 24, 1956 2,814,925 Vibber Dec. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 725,283 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1955 

